With top Longhorn OL target Michael Starts committing to Texas Tech on Thursday, we thought we'd take a look at some of the prospects who remain on the UT recruiting radar.
The Longhorns, of course, have commitments from two linemen in Camrhon Hughes and Curtis Riser. The plan for Texas, according to what a couple high school coaches have been told, is to take two more linemen in this class. If the perfect pieces fell into place (and Starts' decision makes that tough), five commitments would certainly be a possibility.
The top tier of targets, the guys who have been offered, remain the same. Beyond that, UT OL coach Stacy Searels continues to work overtime with his evaluations as he's seemingly checked on just about every lineman in the state who is worth his salt. To say Searels is doing his due diligence isn't doing his efforts justice.
Texas has invited a number of in-state players to attend its upcoming summer camps, a chance for Searels to really do some intensive first-hand evaluations on guys who could be in the running for a scholarship offer.
The tricky part for Texas is that it has an obvious need for numbers - UT pretty much has to take four guys come hell or high water - but Searels probably does not want to hand out offers to in-state guys (aside from Estelle) with a commitment possibly hurting his chances with some of the out-of-staters.
There are a lot of names in play here, so let's go through them one-by-one.
TIER I
Kennedy Estelle - The lone remaining in-state player with an offer, Estelle will have an open invitation as long as he wants one. Texas is still the team to beat, thanks in large part to Estelle's parents favoring the Longhorns. Estelle will camp at Texas this Sunday. A commitment isn't out of the question but Estelle has maintained that he wants to visit at least one out-of-state school and he hasn't really wavered from that stance.
Andrus Peat - Not a lot new to report on Peat, who told us last week he still needed to talk to his dad about setting up a possible UT camp visit. If he doesn't make it to a camp, keep an eye out for a visit later in the summer. If Texas gets him on campus, the Horns figure to be right there in the mix along with schools like Nebraska and USC.
John Theus - Recently cut his list down to six schools. Will likely take an official visit to Texas in the fall. Most people believe Georgia is the team to beat.
D.J. Humphries - Another out-of-state prospect with an offer, but this one is a real longshot.
Vadal Alexander - He holds an offer and told us recently he'll visit Texas at sometime this summer. If that visit happens, things will get interesting. Until then, this one is an uphill battle.
TIER II
D.J. Reader - Another out-of-state guy that Texas checked on very recently. Reader told us last week he wants to visit UT this summer. It remains to be seen how aggressively Texas will pursue him, and whether or not he's seen as an OL or DL. Reader has a lot of talent but he needs to work to keep his weight in check.
Greg Brantley - Brantley was invited to a UT camp by Searels and he'll be in Austin this weekend. If Texas goes for an in-state guy, he'd be near the top of the list of possibilities.
Tre-Von Armstead - The next two weeks will be interesting for the Port Arthur Memorial prospect. Armstead told us a couple times this week that he would not be camping at Texas and would be sticking with his Baylor commitment. However, Memorial head coach Kenny Harrison told us that he's planning to bring Armstead up for UT's camp on the 12th in order to get his star OL prospect more knowledge and more experience. The coach and player were set to talk on Thursday or Friday to iron out the details. We'll follow up soon, but if Armstead does make it to Austin, he could be a guy that figures into the mix for an offer. He said on Wednesday night that he has no interest in switching from Baylor, but obviously, any time Texas gets a kid on campus, the Horns have a chance.
Kyle Fuller - Was invited to attend a UT camp but will not be able to make it in. Fuller said this week that he'd like to come up to Austin for a visit at some point this summer.
Seaver Myers - The Friendswood product confirmed this week that he'll be in town on Sunday for the Horns mini-camp. That puts him in the mix and he'll have his chance to make an impression, but he's likely a guy UT continues to evaluate.
Braden Meador - Meador was invited to UT's camp on June 5 but a prior commitment to a Rice camp has pushed his visit back to June 12. He's another guy that will have to make a very strong impression at that camp and it's likely that Searels will continue to evaluate him after the camp.
Jordan Roos - The Celina product, along with 2013 teammate Jake Raulerson, are on the radar. Roos was invited to a UT camp and will attend on June 12 (has a track meet on June 5).
A lot of names, and there's no way to tell how this will work itself out at this point. The guess here is that Texas waits on Estelle and some of the other out-of-state prospects while it continues to evaluate the in-state guys. By having them at camp, UT has opened up the lines of communication should the coaches decide to go back in on one or more of the in-state guys later in the process. An offer to one of the campers is possible, but certainly not guaranteed. (Suchomel)
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Let's jump over to the other big need position for Texas, defensive back, we have some notes on a new name to the UT recruiting radar ... La'Darius Newbold.
UT assistant Bruce Chambers visited the Lancaster product during the spring evaluation period. He talked to Newbold's parents and the Lancaster coaches and expressed his desire to get Newbold in for a UT camp.
At this point, it's not looking great for Newbold making it to Austin. He's scheduled to hit the Texas Tech camp in Rockwall on Sunday, and the following weekend he and his family will be at the graduation of a family member. He did say he's going to talk to his mother about attending a Texas mid-week camp, which he thought his mom would be supportive of.
Newbold is a brand new name in the Horns' DB discussion, so a little background ... his stock has shot through the roof this spring, including offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, North Carolina and others.
Newbold played WR as a sophomore and junior due to DB depth on the Lancaster team. He'll make the move to CB next year and college coaches that saw him this spring have loved his skills on that side of the ball. He's the cousin of former Lancaster and current DeSoto DB Jalen Mills (who will be camping at Texas on Sunday).
If Texas continues to show interest, Newbold said he really wants to make it to Austin this summer for either a camp or an unofficial visit. If Texas were to eventually extend an offer, don't be surprised to see Newbold jump at it.
"If Texas offered, I think it's a high chance I'd (commit)," Newbold said.
We'll have more on Newbold later in the weekend. (Suchomel)
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Talking about DB recruiting, a couple quick notes in case you missed it on the site this week ...
--- As we first mentioned on Thursday morning, we've confirmed that five-star ATH Nelson Agholor of Tampa Berkeley Prep will take an unofficial visit to both TCU and Texas on June 6-7.
--- We first brought UT's interest in Atlanta St Pius X cornerback Geno Smith to the forefront more than a month ago, and Texas continues to sit in a solid position for the Rivals100 member. The Horns have made Smith's top five and he's still planning to visit UT later this summer.
--- In a story broken by the Rivals.com national recruiting team, five-star safety Landon Collins has cut his list to five schools, and the Longhorns have made the cut. Collins continues to mention that he'd like to visit Texas at some point this summer.
--- A couple different DB prospects have mentioned that they've been told that Texas may not make a decision on possible offers for in-state guys until the coaches have a better handle on what's going to happen with the out-of-state targets.
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The other position of recruiting need for Texas would appear to be along the defensive line, particularly at defensive end (don't miss our explosive report on JUCO DE Denico Autry from this week). In doing some checking, we've heard that it's not at all a foregone conclusion that the Longhorns will go after another d-lineman in this class.
If Texas can find a prospect that it thinks is too good to pass up (like Shreveport Woodlawn DE Torshiro Davis, who will be on campus on Monday-Tuesday), the coaches will make a run at a commitment. But we've heard Texas will not force the issue with adding another defensive lineman and will only actively pursue players that really separate themselves from the rest of the pack. (Suchomel)
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A few more comments on JUCO defensive end Denico Autry from East Mississippi Community College defensive coordinator William Jones ...
"I think Bo (Davis) is going to work hard to get him on campus. Denico is a kid who is fairly open. I've talked to him and I told him to evaluate who your position coach is, who your coordinator is. Manny (Diaz) came from Mississippi State so Denico's familiar with him. He needs to look at how quick can you play, can you get a degree and are you happy in that community? I try to give him quality advice as it relates to his future. He needs to evaluate all those things. Austin and Texas is going to be up there."
EMCC is no stranger to big-time football talent, and Autry's been called the best defensive lineman to come through the program in recent memory. Jones said he truly believes he has first-round NFL talent.
"He's a great pass rusher, a good person. He's going to be the face of someone's four-year program. He's good kid and he has an unbelievable passion for someone playing the game of football. He's a hard-working young man. Just a freak of an athlete, one of those once in every 10 years football players."
Autry plans to decide on December 15 and if he can stay on top of his grades, he'll enroll at the college of his choice in January.
Of note, Autry also has a younger brother who is a high school defensive tackle.
"His little brother is 6-2 and 265 pounds going into the ninth grade," coach Jones said. "He's a straight A student. He's probably going to be more highly recruited than Denico." (Suchomel)
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Elysian Fields, Texas athlete Isaiah Golden is a name to know and has been for a couple of years now. The small town standout is no secret to those surrounding East Texas football as he has been a standout at several positions for the Yellowjackets.
This spring the area colleges have been pouring in to get a look at the two-way standout and he has not disappointed with many projecting him as a standout on the defensive side of the ball.
“A&M came in and said he was a 4 tech in 3-4 and some were putting him at a 2-tech. I don’t think he’s a nose. He’s more of a 3-tech in a 4-3. He reminds me of Ty Warren with his size and speed,” Elysian Fields head coach Eric King said. “For us he’s probably our best WR. He was a receiver for us as a freshman. He’s really special. He weighs 295 and he’s not fat.”
In 2010 he played all over the field for Elysian Fields. He served as fullback, quick guard, defensive end and tackle, and was also in on special teams. In the words of coach King he was never off the field. Regardless of where he was when he was able to go all out he was an unstoppable force.
“I see him as our best linemen on offense and defense. He’s our anchor end (6-tech),” King said. “He’s one of those you look at and say if we don’t have him we’re not very good. He’s our quick guard, our short yardage fullback, our six-tech on defense, our punter and maybe our kicker.”
You name the colleges and they likely came through. In fact the only two schools King said he didn’t see were Oklahoma and LSU. Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Baylor and the list goes on all came through. As summer camp season approaches he will likely stay local with plans to attend a Baylor camp at Marshall, a TCU camp at Kilgore and then a trip to Texas A&M’s camp this week. As for Texas, it may be harder for him to attend a camp.
“I think he would and wants to (camp at Texas) but distance is an issue,” King said. “The OL coach came in and was impressed with him. There were two camps [Texas] looked at for him to attend.”
It is early in the process but the favorite appears to be LSU with Texas and Texas A&M right there too according to King.
Golden, who just turned 16 last week, is a B student and is known for his football intelligence on the field. In the offseason he recorded a 605-pound deadlift, benched 295, squatted 505, ran a 4.86 forty, and he can dunk flat footed.
If you haven’t seen this guy play, take a look at this link
As a sophomore Golden recorded 78 tackles, 14 TFLs, and 8 sacks. He is currently ranked No. 13 in the Lone Star Recruiting’s 2013 Top 100.(Howell)
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In the 2011 the Longhorns will have three Garland Owls on the roster in Malcolm Williams, Adrian Phillips, and Tevin Jackson, and they could be going back for more.
Garland 2012 kicker Josh Lambert will be attending a Texas camp and the Longhorns will also host three Owls from the 2013 class - safety Desmond Mapps, safety/running back Erick Jackson, and linebacker Nick Horton.
Safety Desmond Mapps comes in at 5-10, 170 pounds and runs a 4.42 forty. He was the district champion this spring in the 200m and was named the 10-5A defensive sophomore of the year for his efforts on the football field.
He has received the most attention from Oklahoma and Texas A&M early on and grew up a fan of Texas Tech and Texas.
“I liked Texas Tech. I don’t know I just liked them. One of my cousins went there but he didn’t last long because he got in trouble. I’ve just been a big fan of them,” Mapps said. “Texas, I just liked the tradition and Marquis Goodwin. He’s from Rowlett and he’s like a big brother to me. We were on the same relay team. It was a summer track team in Garland. I ran the 100, 200, 4x400, and the 4x100.”
Mapps plans to also camp at Oklahoma St., UNT, TCU, Texas Tech, Houston, and Stephen F. Austin. He is currently ranked No. 21 in the Lone Star Recruiting’s 2013 Top 100.
His cousin Erick Jackson is also attracting attention. The 5-8.5, 200-pound running back/safety is getting looks on both sides of the ball. He is planning to camp at Texas, Oklahoma, SMU, and Texas A&M and he also grew up a fan of Texas Tech. (Howell)
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Camp List
2012 Commitments
Conner Brewer, QB, Scottsdale (AZ) Chaparral
Johnathan Gray, RB, Aledo
Thomas Johnson, WR, Dallas Skyline
Cayleb Jones, WR, Austin High
Camrhon Hughes, OL, Harker Heights
Curtis Riser, OL, DeSoto
Paul Boyette, DT, Humble
Malcom Brown, DT, Brenham
Alex Norman, DT, Dallas Bishop Dunne
Caleb Bluiett, DE, Beaumont West Brook
Hassan Ridgeway, DE, Mansfield
Timothy Cole, LB, Brenham - maybe
Alex De La Torre, LB, Denton Ryan
Peter Jinkens, LB, Dallas Skyline
Bryson Echols, CB, DeSoto
Orlando Thomas, ATH, Copperas Cove
2012 Offers
Kennedy Estelle, OL, Pearland Dawson - confirmed
Javonte Magee, DL, San Antonio Sam Houston - doubtful
Torshiro Davis, DE, Shreveport (LA) Woodlawn - confirmed
2012 Prospects
Tre-Von Armstead, OL, Port Arthur Memorial - confirmed
Greg Brantley, OL, Carthage - confirmed
Kyle Fuller, OL, Wylie - invited but isn’t attending
Braden Meador, OL, Montgomery - confirmed
Jordan Roos, OL, Celina - confirmed
Gerron Ballard, TE, Whitewright - planning to attend
Niko Padilla, DT, Dallas Parish Episcopal - confirmed
Denzel Devall, DE, Bastrop, LA
Danielle Hunter, DE, Katy Morton Ranch - doubtful
Taiwan Johnson, DE, Manvel - doubtful
Jordan Palmer, DE, McKinney Boyd - confirmed
Colin Blake, CB, San Antonio Brandeis - invited not attending
Nicholas Coleman, CB, San Antonio East Central - confirmed
Jalen Mills, CB, DeSoto - confirmed
La’Darius Newbold, CB, Lancaster - invited but isn’t attending
Kevin Vaccaro, CB, Brownwood - confirmed
2013 Prospects Who have said they’ll attend/plan to attend/invited to attend
Devante Kincade, QB, Dallas Skyline - planning to attend
Austin Robinson, QB, Houston Episcopal - confirmed
Tyrone Swoopes, QB, Whitewright - confirmed
Chris Armstrong, RB, San Antonio East Central - confirmed
Deshaun Rawls, RB, Texas City - confirmed
Adam Taylor, RB, Katy - confirmed
James White, RB, Pearland Dawson - confirmed
Dontre Wilson, RB, DeSoto - planning to attend
Kyle Collins, WR, DeSoto - planning to attend
Tavares Royal, WR, DeSoto - planning to attend
Victor Howell, OL, Dallas Kimball - planning to attend
Kent Perkins, OL/DT, Dallas Lake Highlands - invited but didn’t think he would be able to go
Sergio Phillips, OL, DeSoto - planning to attend
Jake Raulerson, OL, Celina - attending
A’Shawn Robinson, OL, Fort Worth Arlington Heights - planning to attend
Aaron Sowell, OL, Katy - confirmed
Andrew Tercek, OL, San Antonio East Central - planning to attend
Ja’Braylin Thomas, OL, Weimar - planning to attend
Ben Hughes, DT, Waco University - planning to attend but nothing concrete
Darius James, DT/OL, Harker Heights - planning to attend
Justin Manning, DT, Dallas Kimball - planning to attend
Matthew Romar, DT, Port Arthur Memorial - confirmed
Vincent Taylor, DT, San Antonio Madison - confirmed
Everett Anderson, DE, Houston C.E. King - planning to attend camp
Deon Hollins, Jr., DE, Fort Bend Marshall - confirmed
Akeem Harrison, LB, Killeen - planning to attend
Nick Horton, LB, Garland - planning to attend
Isaiah Williams, LB, Dallas Skyline - planning to attend
Taylor Young, LB, DeSoto - planning to attend
Raaquan Davis, S/LB, Rockwall-Heath - probable to attend
Matt Coleman, CB, San Antonio East Central - confirmed
George Baltimore, S, Mansfield - probable to attend
Austin Jupe, S, San Antonio East Central - confirmed
Desmond Mapps, S, Garland - confirmed
Derrick Robertson, S, Killeen - planning to attend
Laquvionte Gonzalez, ATH, Cedar Hill - planning to attend
Naashon Hughes, ATH, Harker Heights - planning to attend
Erick Jackson, ATH, Garland - confirmed
Ricky Seals-Jones, ATH, Sealy - confirmed
2014s
Armanti Foreman, WR, Texas City - confirmed
D’Onta Foreman, ATH, Texas City - confirmed
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10 Things to end things with...
1. Looks like the summer camp schedule for 2013 TE prospect Derrick Griffin has changed. The top five two-sport prospect will be in Atlanta this weekend for an Under Armor hoops tournament and told me on Thursday night that he believes the only football camp he’ll be able to make this summer because of basketball obligations is Texas Tech (unconfirmed date). We’re scheduled to check in with Griffin next week for a more in-depth update.
2. One of the state’s top 2013 prospects had a change of locale this week. Del Valle cornerback Antwaun Davis (No. 23 on the 2013 LSR list) is now a Bastrop Bear and will be teammates with blue chip 2013 linebacker Paul Whitmill. As we reported last week, Davis will be at the Texas camp this weekend, but might be a slight A&M lean early on per his father. This weekend will serve as a chance for Texas to change that somewhat.
3. West-Orange Stark athlete Colin Janice (2013 - ranked No. 14) and linebacker Travon Blanchard (2013 - No. 83) confirmed on Thursday that they’ll both be at the Texas camp on June 12.
4. Speaking of confirmations for June 12, the Longhorns will host super-stud 2013 prospect Jake Oliver from Dallas Jesuit as well. Oliver has about eight or nine offers, with Michigan the latest to add to the fold this week. I’ve got him ranked No. 8 right now in 2013.
5. I confirmed with Killeen Harker Heights star defensive tackle Darius James this week that he’ll be at the Texas camp this weekend, followed by camps at Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas A&M.
6. 2013 quarterback Kohl Stewart of Houston St. Pius is camping at Texas A&M this weekend and an offer is expected. With both of his parents being A&M alums, this recruitment could end before it ever truly starts.
7. Remember the name Zorell Ezell? He’s the Humble defensive tackle that attended one of the UT junior days in February? Well, he now has offers from Arizona State, Arizona, Miami, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri.
8. The cascade of prospects coming from DeSoto will be in Austin on the 12, including top running back prospect Dontre Wilson.
9. Waco University defensive tackle Ben Hughes (No. 22 on the 2013 LSR) will be in Austin from Sunday through Wednesday.
10. Finally, Hughes isn’t the only big fella going through the week-long camp, as I confirmed late Thursday night that Fort Worth Arlington Heights OL/DL A’Shawn Robinson (No. 5 on the LSR) will be in Austin from June 12-15. That’s big. (Ketch)
This post was edited on 6/2 11:34 PM by Ketchum
The Longhorns, of course, have commitments from two linemen in Camrhon Hughes and Curtis Riser. The plan for Texas, according to what a couple high school coaches have been told, is to take two more linemen in this class. If the perfect pieces fell into place (and Starts' decision makes that tough), five commitments would certainly be a possibility.
The top tier of targets, the guys who have been offered, remain the same. Beyond that, UT OL coach Stacy Searels continues to work overtime with his evaluations as he's seemingly checked on just about every lineman in the state who is worth his salt. To say Searels is doing his due diligence isn't doing his efforts justice.
Texas has invited a number of in-state players to attend its upcoming summer camps, a chance for Searels to really do some intensive first-hand evaluations on guys who could be in the running for a scholarship offer.
The tricky part for Texas is that it has an obvious need for numbers - UT pretty much has to take four guys come hell or high water - but Searels probably does not want to hand out offers to in-state guys (aside from Estelle) with a commitment possibly hurting his chances with some of the out-of-staters.
There are a lot of names in play here, so let's go through them one-by-one.
TIER I
Kennedy Estelle - The lone remaining in-state player with an offer, Estelle will have an open invitation as long as he wants one. Texas is still the team to beat, thanks in large part to Estelle's parents favoring the Longhorns. Estelle will camp at Texas this Sunday. A commitment isn't out of the question but Estelle has maintained that he wants to visit at least one out-of-state school and he hasn't really wavered from that stance.
Andrus Peat - Not a lot new to report on Peat, who told us last week he still needed to talk to his dad about setting up a possible UT camp visit. If he doesn't make it to a camp, keep an eye out for a visit later in the summer. If Texas gets him on campus, the Horns figure to be right there in the mix along with schools like Nebraska and USC.
John Theus - Recently cut his list down to six schools. Will likely take an official visit to Texas in the fall. Most people believe Georgia is the team to beat.
D.J. Humphries - Another out-of-state prospect with an offer, but this one is a real longshot.
Vadal Alexander - He holds an offer and told us recently he'll visit Texas at sometime this summer. If that visit happens, things will get interesting. Until then, this one is an uphill battle.
TIER II
D.J. Reader - Another out-of-state guy that Texas checked on very recently. Reader told us last week he wants to visit UT this summer. It remains to be seen how aggressively Texas will pursue him, and whether or not he's seen as an OL or DL. Reader has a lot of talent but he needs to work to keep his weight in check.
Greg Brantley - Brantley was invited to a UT camp by Searels and he'll be in Austin this weekend. If Texas goes for an in-state guy, he'd be near the top of the list of possibilities.
Tre-Von Armstead - The next two weeks will be interesting for the Port Arthur Memorial prospect. Armstead told us a couple times this week that he would not be camping at Texas and would be sticking with his Baylor commitment. However, Memorial head coach Kenny Harrison told us that he's planning to bring Armstead up for UT's camp on the 12th in order to get his star OL prospect more knowledge and more experience. The coach and player were set to talk on Thursday or Friday to iron out the details. We'll follow up soon, but if Armstead does make it to Austin, he could be a guy that figures into the mix for an offer. He said on Wednesday night that he has no interest in switching from Baylor, but obviously, any time Texas gets a kid on campus, the Horns have a chance.
Kyle Fuller - Was invited to attend a UT camp but will not be able to make it in. Fuller said this week that he'd like to come up to Austin for a visit at some point this summer.
Seaver Myers - The Friendswood product confirmed this week that he'll be in town on Sunday for the Horns mini-camp. That puts him in the mix and he'll have his chance to make an impression, but he's likely a guy UT continues to evaluate.
Braden Meador - Meador was invited to UT's camp on June 5 but a prior commitment to a Rice camp has pushed his visit back to June 12. He's another guy that will have to make a very strong impression at that camp and it's likely that Searels will continue to evaluate him after the camp.
Jordan Roos - The Celina product, along with 2013 teammate Jake Raulerson, are on the radar. Roos was invited to a UT camp and will attend on June 12 (has a track meet on June 5).
A lot of names, and there's no way to tell how this will work itself out at this point. The guess here is that Texas waits on Estelle and some of the other out-of-state prospects while it continues to evaluate the in-state guys. By having them at camp, UT has opened up the lines of communication should the coaches decide to go back in on one or more of the in-state guys later in the process. An offer to one of the campers is possible, but certainly not guaranteed. (Suchomel)
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Let's jump over to the other big need position for Texas, defensive back, we have some notes on a new name to the UT recruiting radar ... La'Darius Newbold.
UT assistant Bruce Chambers visited the Lancaster product during the spring evaluation period. He talked to Newbold's parents and the Lancaster coaches and expressed his desire to get Newbold in for a UT camp.
At this point, it's not looking great for Newbold making it to Austin. He's scheduled to hit the Texas Tech camp in Rockwall on Sunday, and the following weekend he and his family will be at the graduation of a family member. He did say he's going to talk to his mother about attending a Texas mid-week camp, which he thought his mom would be supportive of.
Newbold is a brand new name in the Horns' DB discussion, so a little background ... his stock has shot through the roof this spring, including offers from Nebraska, Notre Dame, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, North Carolina and others.
Newbold played WR as a sophomore and junior due to DB depth on the Lancaster team. He'll make the move to CB next year and college coaches that saw him this spring have loved his skills on that side of the ball. He's the cousin of former Lancaster and current DeSoto DB Jalen Mills (who will be camping at Texas on Sunday).
If Texas continues to show interest, Newbold said he really wants to make it to Austin this summer for either a camp or an unofficial visit. If Texas were to eventually extend an offer, don't be surprised to see Newbold jump at it.
"If Texas offered, I think it's a high chance I'd (commit)," Newbold said.
We'll have more on Newbold later in the weekend. (Suchomel)
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Talking about DB recruiting, a couple quick notes in case you missed it on the site this week ...
--- As we first mentioned on Thursday morning, we've confirmed that five-star ATH Nelson Agholor of Tampa Berkeley Prep will take an unofficial visit to both TCU and Texas on June 6-7.
--- We first brought UT's interest in Atlanta St Pius X cornerback Geno Smith to the forefront more than a month ago, and Texas continues to sit in a solid position for the Rivals100 member. The Horns have made Smith's top five and he's still planning to visit UT later this summer.
--- In a story broken by the Rivals.com national recruiting team, five-star safety Landon Collins has cut his list to five schools, and the Longhorns have made the cut. Collins continues to mention that he'd like to visit Texas at some point this summer.
--- A couple different DB prospects have mentioned that they've been told that Texas may not make a decision on possible offers for in-state guys until the coaches have a better handle on what's going to happen with the out-of-state targets.
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The other position of recruiting need for Texas would appear to be along the defensive line, particularly at defensive end (don't miss our explosive report on JUCO DE Denico Autry from this week). In doing some checking, we've heard that it's not at all a foregone conclusion that the Longhorns will go after another d-lineman in this class.
If Texas can find a prospect that it thinks is too good to pass up (like Shreveport Woodlawn DE Torshiro Davis, who will be on campus on Monday-Tuesday), the coaches will make a run at a commitment. But we've heard Texas will not force the issue with adding another defensive lineman and will only actively pursue players that really separate themselves from the rest of the pack. (Suchomel)
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A few more comments on JUCO defensive end Denico Autry from East Mississippi Community College defensive coordinator William Jones ...
"I think Bo (Davis) is going to work hard to get him on campus. Denico is a kid who is fairly open. I've talked to him and I told him to evaluate who your position coach is, who your coordinator is. Manny (Diaz) came from Mississippi State so Denico's familiar with him. He needs to look at how quick can you play, can you get a degree and are you happy in that community? I try to give him quality advice as it relates to his future. He needs to evaluate all those things. Austin and Texas is going to be up there."
EMCC is no stranger to big-time football talent, and Autry's been called the best defensive lineman to come through the program in recent memory. Jones said he truly believes he has first-round NFL talent.
"He's a great pass rusher, a good person. He's going to be the face of someone's four-year program. He's good kid and he has an unbelievable passion for someone playing the game of football. He's a hard-working young man. Just a freak of an athlete, one of those once in every 10 years football players."
Autry plans to decide on December 15 and if he can stay on top of his grades, he'll enroll at the college of his choice in January.
Of note, Autry also has a younger brother who is a high school defensive tackle.
"His little brother is 6-2 and 265 pounds going into the ninth grade," coach Jones said. "He's a straight A student. He's probably going to be more highly recruited than Denico." (Suchomel)
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Elysian Fields, Texas athlete Isaiah Golden is a name to know and has been for a couple of years now. The small town standout is no secret to those surrounding East Texas football as he has been a standout at several positions for the Yellowjackets.
This spring the area colleges have been pouring in to get a look at the two-way standout and he has not disappointed with many projecting him as a standout on the defensive side of the ball.
“A&M came in and said he was a 4 tech in 3-4 and some were putting him at a 2-tech. I don’t think he’s a nose. He’s more of a 3-tech in a 4-3. He reminds me of Ty Warren with his size and speed,” Elysian Fields head coach Eric King said. “For us he’s probably our best WR. He was a receiver for us as a freshman. He’s really special. He weighs 295 and he’s not fat.”
In 2010 he played all over the field for Elysian Fields. He served as fullback, quick guard, defensive end and tackle, and was also in on special teams. In the words of coach King he was never off the field. Regardless of where he was when he was able to go all out he was an unstoppable force.
“I see him as our best linemen on offense and defense. He’s our anchor end (6-tech),” King said. “He’s one of those you look at and say if we don’t have him we’re not very good. He’s our quick guard, our short yardage fullback, our six-tech on defense, our punter and maybe our kicker.”
You name the colleges and they likely came through. In fact the only two schools King said he didn’t see were Oklahoma and LSU. Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Baylor and the list goes on all came through. As summer camp season approaches he will likely stay local with plans to attend a Baylor camp at Marshall, a TCU camp at Kilgore and then a trip to Texas A&M’s camp this week. As for Texas, it may be harder for him to attend a camp.
“I think he would and wants to (camp at Texas) but distance is an issue,” King said. “The OL coach came in and was impressed with him. There were two camps [Texas] looked at for him to attend.”
It is early in the process but the favorite appears to be LSU with Texas and Texas A&M right there too according to King.
Golden, who just turned 16 last week, is a B student and is known for his football intelligence on the field. In the offseason he recorded a 605-pound deadlift, benched 295, squatted 505, ran a 4.86 forty, and he can dunk flat footed.
If you haven’t seen this guy play, take a look at this link
As a sophomore Golden recorded 78 tackles, 14 TFLs, and 8 sacks. He is currently ranked No. 13 in the Lone Star Recruiting’s 2013 Top 100.(Howell)
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In the 2011 the Longhorns will have three Garland Owls on the roster in Malcolm Williams, Adrian Phillips, and Tevin Jackson, and they could be going back for more.
Garland 2012 kicker Josh Lambert will be attending a Texas camp and the Longhorns will also host three Owls from the 2013 class - safety Desmond Mapps, safety/running back Erick Jackson, and linebacker Nick Horton.
Safety Desmond Mapps comes in at 5-10, 170 pounds and runs a 4.42 forty. He was the district champion this spring in the 200m and was named the 10-5A defensive sophomore of the year for his efforts on the football field.
He has received the most attention from Oklahoma and Texas A&M early on and grew up a fan of Texas Tech and Texas.
“I liked Texas Tech. I don’t know I just liked them. One of my cousins went there but he didn’t last long because he got in trouble. I’ve just been a big fan of them,” Mapps said. “Texas, I just liked the tradition and Marquis Goodwin. He’s from Rowlett and he’s like a big brother to me. We were on the same relay team. It was a summer track team in Garland. I ran the 100, 200, 4x400, and the 4x100.”
Mapps plans to also camp at Oklahoma St., UNT, TCU, Texas Tech, Houston, and Stephen F. Austin. He is currently ranked No. 21 in the Lone Star Recruiting’s 2013 Top 100.
His cousin Erick Jackson is also attracting attention. The 5-8.5, 200-pound running back/safety is getting looks on both sides of the ball. He is planning to camp at Texas, Oklahoma, SMU, and Texas A&M and he also grew up a fan of Texas Tech. (Howell)
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Camp List
2012 Commitments
Conner Brewer, QB, Scottsdale (AZ) Chaparral
Johnathan Gray, RB, Aledo
Thomas Johnson, WR, Dallas Skyline
Cayleb Jones, WR, Austin High
Camrhon Hughes, OL, Harker Heights
Curtis Riser, OL, DeSoto
Paul Boyette, DT, Humble
Malcom Brown, DT, Brenham
Alex Norman, DT, Dallas Bishop Dunne
Caleb Bluiett, DE, Beaumont West Brook
Hassan Ridgeway, DE, Mansfield
Timothy Cole, LB, Brenham - maybe
Alex De La Torre, LB, Denton Ryan
Peter Jinkens, LB, Dallas Skyline
Bryson Echols, CB, DeSoto
Orlando Thomas, ATH, Copperas Cove
2012 Offers
Kennedy Estelle, OL, Pearland Dawson - confirmed
Javonte Magee, DL, San Antonio Sam Houston - doubtful
Torshiro Davis, DE, Shreveport (LA) Woodlawn - confirmed
2012 Prospects
Tre-Von Armstead, OL, Port Arthur Memorial - confirmed
Greg Brantley, OL, Carthage - confirmed
Kyle Fuller, OL, Wylie - invited but isn’t attending
Braden Meador, OL, Montgomery - confirmed
Jordan Roos, OL, Celina - confirmed
Gerron Ballard, TE, Whitewright - planning to attend
Niko Padilla, DT, Dallas Parish Episcopal - confirmed
Denzel Devall, DE, Bastrop, LA
Danielle Hunter, DE, Katy Morton Ranch - doubtful
Taiwan Johnson, DE, Manvel - doubtful
Jordan Palmer, DE, McKinney Boyd - confirmed
Colin Blake, CB, San Antonio Brandeis - invited not attending
Nicholas Coleman, CB, San Antonio East Central - confirmed
Jalen Mills, CB, DeSoto - confirmed
La’Darius Newbold, CB, Lancaster - invited but isn’t attending
Kevin Vaccaro, CB, Brownwood - confirmed
2013 Prospects Who have said they’ll attend/plan to attend/invited to attend
Devante Kincade, QB, Dallas Skyline - planning to attend
Austin Robinson, QB, Houston Episcopal - confirmed
Tyrone Swoopes, QB, Whitewright - confirmed
Chris Armstrong, RB, San Antonio East Central - confirmed
Deshaun Rawls, RB, Texas City - confirmed
Adam Taylor, RB, Katy - confirmed
James White, RB, Pearland Dawson - confirmed
Dontre Wilson, RB, DeSoto - planning to attend
Kyle Collins, WR, DeSoto - planning to attend
Tavares Royal, WR, DeSoto - planning to attend
Victor Howell, OL, Dallas Kimball - planning to attend
Kent Perkins, OL/DT, Dallas Lake Highlands - invited but didn’t think he would be able to go
Sergio Phillips, OL, DeSoto - planning to attend
Jake Raulerson, OL, Celina - attending
A’Shawn Robinson, OL, Fort Worth Arlington Heights - planning to attend
Aaron Sowell, OL, Katy - confirmed
Andrew Tercek, OL, San Antonio East Central - planning to attend
Ja’Braylin Thomas, OL, Weimar - planning to attend
Ben Hughes, DT, Waco University - planning to attend but nothing concrete
Darius James, DT/OL, Harker Heights - planning to attend
Justin Manning, DT, Dallas Kimball - planning to attend
Matthew Romar, DT, Port Arthur Memorial - confirmed
Vincent Taylor, DT, San Antonio Madison - confirmed
Everett Anderson, DE, Houston C.E. King - planning to attend camp
Deon Hollins, Jr., DE, Fort Bend Marshall - confirmed
Akeem Harrison, LB, Killeen - planning to attend
Nick Horton, LB, Garland - planning to attend
Isaiah Williams, LB, Dallas Skyline - planning to attend
Taylor Young, LB, DeSoto - planning to attend
Raaquan Davis, S/LB, Rockwall-Heath - probable to attend
Matt Coleman, CB, San Antonio East Central - confirmed
George Baltimore, S, Mansfield - probable to attend
Austin Jupe, S, San Antonio East Central - confirmed
Desmond Mapps, S, Garland - confirmed
Derrick Robertson, S, Killeen - planning to attend
Laquvionte Gonzalez, ATH, Cedar Hill - planning to attend
Naashon Hughes, ATH, Harker Heights - planning to attend
Erick Jackson, ATH, Garland - confirmed
Ricky Seals-Jones, ATH, Sealy - confirmed
2014s
Armanti Foreman, WR, Texas City - confirmed
D’Onta Foreman, ATH, Texas City - confirmed
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10 Things to end things with...
1. Looks like the summer camp schedule for 2013 TE prospect Derrick Griffin has changed. The top five two-sport prospect will be in Atlanta this weekend for an Under Armor hoops tournament and told me on Thursday night that he believes the only football camp he’ll be able to make this summer because of basketball obligations is Texas Tech (unconfirmed date). We’re scheduled to check in with Griffin next week for a more in-depth update.
2. One of the state’s top 2013 prospects had a change of locale this week. Del Valle cornerback Antwaun Davis (No. 23 on the 2013 LSR list) is now a Bastrop Bear and will be teammates with blue chip 2013 linebacker Paul Whitmill. As we reported last week, Davis will be at the Texas camp this weekend, but might be a slight A&M lean early on per his father. This weekend will serve as a chance for Texas to change that somewhat.
3. West-Orange Stark athlete Colin Janice (2013 - ranked No. 14) and linebacker Travon Blanchard (2013 - No. 83) confirmed on Thursday that they’ll both be at the Texas camp on June 12.
4. Speaking of confirmations for June 12, the Longhorns will host super-stud 2013 prospect Jake Oliver from Dallas Jesuit as well. Oliver has about eight or nine offers, with Michigan the latest to add to the fold this week. I’ve got him ranked No. 8 right now in 2013.
5. I confirmed with Killeen Harker Heights star defensive tackle Darius James this week that he’ll be at the Texas camp this weekend, followed by camps at Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas A&M.
6. 2013 quarterback Kohl Stewart of Houston St. Pius is camping at Texas A&M this weekend and an offer is expected. With both of his parents being A&M alums, this recruitment could end before it ever truly starts.
7. Remember the name Zorell Ezell? He’s the Humble defensive tackle that attended one of the UT junior days in February? Well, he now has offers from Arizona State, Arizona, Miami, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri.
8. The cascade of prospects coming from DeSoto will be in Austin on the 12, including top running back prospect Dontre Wilson.
9. Waco University defensive tackle Ben Hughes (No. 22 on the 2013 LSR) will be in Austin from Sunday through Wednesday.
10. Finally, Hughes isn’t the only big fella going through the week-long camp, as I confirmed late Thursday night that Fort Worth Arlington Heights OL/DL A’Shawn Robinson (No. 5 on the LSR) will be in Austin from June 12-15. That’s big. (Ketch)
This post was edited on 6/2 11:34 PM by Ketchum
